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Race report: Walleye Run 5 mile

June 9, 2013 / Race Reports / 7 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

The story of this race again starts well before race day. I again pushed harder than I should have in training and, about a week before the race, crashed. I had a 13 mile run that was a significant struggle exactly a week before the race, then I completely crashed. It took me almost 45 minutes to run 5 miles 6 days before the race. Another slow 5 miles on Monday and I took Tuesday off. Other than relaxed strides Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I didn’t do anything hard this week until race day. I simply needed to get my legs back under me.

This is the race that has become a family event. By taking a pass on the shirts, for $20, I was able to register myself for the 5 mile, Lisa for the 2 mile and Shayla for the 1/3 mile kids fun run. What a family bargain. Also, they stagger the races sufficiently to allow me to finish my cooldown with enough time to let Lisa get ready for her run.

As a family event, we all piled into the car early this morning to head up to Fond du Lac. We arrived at the park a little later than I normally would. I headed off to pick up our packets while Lisa and Shayla stopped off at a picnic table to eat breakfast. The instructions in our packets clearly stated make sure your age and gender are correct on the bibs. Ours weren’t even filled in so I went off to find a pen and fill in Lisa’s and mine. Shayla’s was filled in but it didn’t matter because she was running a non-competitive event anyway.

I took a little time to relax, then it was time to get ready to warm up. No sign of Lisa and Shayla yet so I did what I had to do, then started walking out to run. I saw them coming so I let them know where I had our stuff and took off to run. The warmup started a few minutes later than I would have liked due to waiting for them but no big deal. I warmed up, with the legs feeling pretty grumpy at first but loosening up fairly well as I went on. I did my range of motion exercises, put my racing flats on, stripped down to my racing uniform and was off. A few strides at the start line, dropping my sunglasses with Lisa because they were fogging up and I was ready to go.

Lined up just to my right was bib number 1, last year’s winner. Oh, great. I’ll get blown away right off the line. Oh well, it is what it is.

As the race started, I did get blown away by bib number 1, as well as a few others around me. I must have picked a good position on the line to start because it seemed like all the fast guys were all around me. I quickly found myself in about 15th place but, like the last race, part of the reason for that was because my legs just didn’t want to go right off the line. It again took them about 1/4 mile to really start firing.

Once my legs did get going, I quickly worked my way up through the chase pack, separated, then was staring down the lead pack of 7. In front of that pack was bib number 1, wearing a white singlet. I saw 3 blue Fond du Lac Running Club (FDLRC) jerseys and a few other guys. Pretty quickly, 3 guys fell off the lead pack and formed a chase pack. Now, the race was 4/3/me. I figured my only hope of moving up was picking off guys who fall off through attrition. I did try bringing in that pack but it just wasn’t happening so my new goal became to keep as close to that pack as possible so, if anyone fell off, I’d be there to pick them off. Before I knew it, the chase pack grew to 5 as the battle for first became a 2 man race. That didn’t change what I was doing, though. My focus was on the now larger pack and watching for weakness up there.

Through mile 2, there weren’t any signs of weakness. Generally, that pack was running shoulder to shoulder. One guy dropped behind but didn’t fall back. The rest were still running 4 wide. Just after the 2 mile mark, we went around the turn and the pack fell into a single file line. Still, though, no signs of weakness. Then, it started happening. At about 2.5 miles, one of the blue FDLRC jerseys lost a couple steps. Then 5 yards. I was like a shark smelling blood in the water. He still had a good lead on me but he was hurting. He couldn’t hold the pace. I pushed a little harder, knowing this was my chance. By the 3 mile mark, I had cut the gap fairly significantly and he was maybe 20 yards ahead. Just after the 3 mile mark, we had a 90 degree turn and I saw him look back. I thought "Yeah, that’s right, you’re mine" and found a surge of energy. About 1/4 mile later, I went by him and he had no response at all. I kept pouring it on. He wasn’t responding now but, if he could hang close, he’s a young guy who probably has a kick and I didn’t have a kick even when I was his age. I didn’t want him anywhere near me with a half mile to go.

Nearing the 4 mile mark, I saw another guy falling off the pack. He wasn’t fading quickly, though, and I didn’t have much time left. Was it enough time? I pushed but I didn’t have enough in me to really move. I kept pushing, thinking chasing him would help me build a gap on the FDLRC guy I had passed not all that long ago. With just less than a mile to go, we went around a turn. I thought about looking back, then thought about that turn a mile earlier. I didn’t want anyone behind me thinking I was his to pass. I kept pushing, assuming someone was there even though I was pretty sure nobody was. With 3/4 of a mile to go, another turn. I didn’t even think of looking back. I just kept pushing. I knew I wasn’t going to catch the guy ahead of me but I wasn’t going to let someone come up behind me. With 1/2 mile to go, another turn. I stole a quick glance but couldn’t see much. All I knew is there was nobody within the first 10 yards behind me. What if someone further back saw me? He’s thinking I’m not going to have a finish. I push as hard as I possibly can to make it clear I’m not fading, just in case. With 1/4 mile to go, I try to pick up the pace again. I’m not sure I did. Around the last big turn and I’m going with everything I have, which isn’t much. One more gentle curve and I see the clock just over 28 minutes. I try to sprint but my legs have nothing left. I go as hard as I can, which is basically the same pace I had been running, and cross in just over 28:20.

Final result was 7th place overall, 1st in the 30-39 age group. 6th place was 42 seconds ahead of me. 8th place was 36 seconds behind me. I’m very happy with this result. Even before this past week’s struggles, I was thinking 5:40 pace or right around 28:20 would be a very strong run. With how the past week went, I was very worried that things could turn out far worse. My legs bounced back, though, and I ran about as perfectly on the original target as possible.

Official results

Lisa ran her 2 mile. She’s not exactly thrilled with her run but she says she now has something to improve upon. Shayla ran her run and was excited to finish ahead of mom (who ran with her) and at a faster pace than mom ran in her race. Then it was off to the festival for a few hours of run. A good day all around.

More on the 10% myth

June 6, 2013 / Training / 2 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

After posting about the 10% myth earlier this week, I thought it would be good to discuss the primary argument I’ve received over the years against my view on this "rule".

To paraphrase, the argument goes something like this: Sure, you could increase by 15% or 20% for a week or two but that isn’t sustainable. 10% per week is the maximum sustainable rate at which one could increase their volume.

I usually respond with the question of how long one thinks you can sustain a 10% per week increase. I’ve yet to hear a response.

If you increase by 10% per week for 8 weeks, you’ve increased your volume by 114%. If you’ve been running 50 miles per week, you’re now at 107 miles per week in about 2 months. If you increase for 12 weeks, you’ve increased your volume by 213% and your 50 miles per week base has in 3 months turned into over 150 miles per week. By 15 weeks, you’ve topped 200 miles per week. Is this sustainable? Of course not. Depending on your circumstances, you’re doing very well if you are safely running 73 miles a week in a month’s time.

The argument I’m making is that we shouldn’t focus on numbers. Focus instead on how you’re feeling. At times, you might find yourself increasing by 15-20% or even more. At other times, you might find yourself increasing by less than 5% or even holding steady for a while. Forget about the numbers and focus on how your body is responding to your increases. Your body will lead you to far better results than some arbitrary formula.

Any other questions, concerns or comments about the 10% rule or why I feel the way I do about it? Don’t hesitate to ask.

The 10% myth

June 4, 2013 / Training / 5 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Everywhere you go, you hear about it. Even those of us who try to avoid hearing about it can’t get away from it. The "10% rule". That supposed rule that a person shouldn’t increase their weekly mileage by more than 10% from week to week or they will risk injury, fatigue, burnout, and a multitude of other bad repercussions. Of course, a corollary to this rule that some strongly promote is that, as long as you are within this guideline, you’re perfectly safe. Is this really true? Well, let’s look at a few facts as well as some observations I’ve made.

First, let’s look at the numbers. We’re told that this "10% rule" applies to everyone at all levels. OK, so how does a person start running? You can’t increase from zero miles by 10% and end up with anything but zero. Maybe that’s why so many people are afraid to start running. They would be breaking the "10% rule". OK, that’s a little extreme so let’s take a situation I was once introduced to. Someone ran 8 miles in a recent week and was asking what would be reasonable for the following week. This person mentioned that, by Wednesday, she was already on the verge of breaking the "10% rule" but still felt good, so did she really have to stick with 10% or could she go higher? I gave my usual advice, listen to your body and let it guide you. After all, is it really reasonable to expect a person to go from 8 miles to 8.8 to 9.6 to 10.5? If she was to do 9 or 10 miles that first week after the 8 mile week, would that mean sure injury or burnout? What if she tried to stick to 8.8 miles but measured a course wrong and ended up running 8.9 or 9 miles? She broke the 10% rule, now she’s going to get injured? Let’s be realistic here. There was no doubt in my mind that she was ready for 10, 12, maybe even more miles. Maybe she would have to maintain for a short time once she hit 12 miles but everything she said suggested that she was ready. Of course, that didn’t stop a "10% rule" proponent from saying I’m full of it and that she should in fact run 8.8 miles the following week, 9.6 the week after, and 10.5 on the third week. This person informed me that it was a proven and time tested principle. Really? I’d love to see the evidence of that but I’ll get to that later.

What about the opposite end of the spectrum? Some of those who promote this "rule" say that, as long as one stays within the guidelines, they will be fine. What does this mean for someone who just ran a 100 mile week? Well, that person runs 110 miles the following week, 121 the week after, 133 the next week, 146 on the fourth week, and 160 on week five. That’s a 60 mile per week increase in barely over a month. Staying well within these boundaries, a person could increase by 6 miles per day in a month’s period. What are the chances that someone could actually increase the training load this quickly without problems? Again, let’s be realistic here.

Next, let’s look at some facts. A number of sources will tell you that, as long as you increase by 10% or less, you are at a low risk of injury and burnout. As soon as you cross over to more than 10%, though, you are at a high risk of injury and burnout. This is a very interesting theory. All I can do is ask what makes 10% so special? I know of many people who, on a very regular basis, increase their mileage at a much higher rate with no repercussions. I have actually done that myself from the beginning of my running years. I also know of many people who have increased by much less than 10% and ended up with very serious injuries. From my observations, I have seen no sign that 10% is some magical turning point where injury risk suddenly increases. Also, I have seen no studies that have found this to be the case.

In the end, I just have to ask why 10%? Simple, it’s a nice round number that sounds good. It’s a middle ground. Many people get injured increasing at 5% or less per week, many others don’t get injured when increasing by 20% or more per week for a short period of time. Most runners will be safe at 10%, although many would also be safe at 15% and those who wouldn’t be safe may or may not be safe at 5%.

Well, if most runners are safe at 10%, why do I have a problem with this number? Simple, there is a better, less limiting and even safer way to increase. It’s called listening to your body. At points, if you listen to your body, you will probably increase your mileage by more than 10% per week. This is the point where 10% is too conservative and is actually limiting your training. At other points, if you listen to your body, you will probably increase your mileage by less than 10% per week and maybe even stop increasing for a few weeks before starting the buildup again. This is the point where 10% is too aggressive and runners who follow it to the letter end up developing problems.

Note on upcoming blog posts

June 4, 2013 / HillRunner.com Admin / 1 minute of reading

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

With the blog available, the "Articles" section of the site seems a bit redundant. I’m going to copy/rewrite the articles posted there into blog posts and redirect links to these posts. Eventually, the Articles section will be going away.

This means you will probably see some topics come up here that seem familiar. Some will be extensively rewritten as known facts have changed or my understanding of the facts have changed. Others will be largely untouched.

The Silver Lining Race Report

June 4, 2013 / Race Reports / 4 minutes of reading

This article was originally posted by Ed at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

On June 2nd I raced in the Silver Lining 5K for the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County. My wife and children came to this race with me. I love having them at the races in which I participate. As always, I get a bit anxious before a race but the pre race warm-up always settles that issue. I was anxious because I had spent seven of the last eleven days with an injury and not running. Coach Hill told me that any lost physicality should be made up for in the rest that my legs had gotten. I was trying to keep that in mind.

Check-in was a breeze, I got my race bib pinned on and headed over to the van to drop of the race packet. I was sizing up some of the competition as I walked through the area. I saw a few I knew would beat me (including and especially Ruffalo) but I was feeling good. I headed off for the pre-race warm-up and was feeling loose and relaxed. I warmed up about two miles at an eight minute per mile pace. Then I did some light stretching, especially in my calves down to the Achilles’ tendons, which is where I had my recent issues. I then did three strides trying to hit 9.6 MPH (around the pace I wanted to run the first mile) and I did ok – got a feel for the pace.

We lined up for the race and in a couple of minutes – we were off and running. The course starts uphill (into the wind which was quite noticeable) and curves slowly to the north. Ruffalo and about 30 others were ahead of me at the 1/4-mile mark I checked my Garmin and I was going out too fast, I was at 10.6 MPH – oops. I backed off a bit and was suddenly hit with the worst dry-mouth I had ever experienced. I could hardly open my mouth it was so dry and sticky. I thought I was done at that point – just on my way to the half-mile point. I tried to get saliva into my mouth and keep it there without swallowing – breathing through my nose alone. This slowed me down a bit but by the 3/4 mile point cured the dry mouth issue.

I hit the one-mile mark in 6:15. Somehow, I managed to hit the pace I wanted for the first mile. This is a hilly course and can be punishing so I worked my way up through people who were either not ready for the course or went out to fast. I tried to work the course to my advantage slowly picking people off one by one. I was struggling through the 2nd mile, with the thought of throwing in the towel, but worked through a number of people. I hit the second mile in 12:36 and I knew I had to somehow pick it back up and keep passing people. I noticed at about the 2.3-mile point I was clearly separated from the chase pack and was the trailing member of the lead pack. This was a bad mental thought to have.

I tried to reel in the guy in front of me and I slowly caught him and passed him then someone else caught me and I recognized him as the guy that beat me in my age group last year. I made the comment "there goes my age group win" and he stated he would be willing to tie. I told him; if you can beat me, beat me. I wanted to earn whatever award I could earn. Little did we realize someone else in our age group was way ahead of us. He then moved on ahead and I worked hard to keep the ground I had on anyone behind me. I was thinking that since this is chip timed the guy behind me might actually be on a shorter chip time than me so I worked that last .125 miles hard, it was uphill and into the wind but hey, everyone would have that same finish so I told myself "gut it out." I ran that .125 miles as best I could.

I did not PR and I did not win my age group. I dropped to third in my age group but I did move up to 14th overall. Only one person older than me beat me and I beat plenty of younger people. As I reflect on that race; given the conditions, my recent injury with off time, I am content with the outcome.

However, I am not done yet . . .